Australian Post and VFX studio KOJO have created the opening titles on Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising, which released globally on June 14.

Having created the opening titles on Director Shannon Tindle’s previous project Lost Ollie, KOJO was approached to create the opening titles and end credits on Ultraman: Rising. Led by Design Director Sam Clarke and Motion Design Director Jack Prenc, the KOJO teams collaborated with Tindle Co-Director John Aoshima and the team from Feature Animation at Netflix to develop the creative narrative and craft the title designs.

“From the very beginning of the project we understood that we were dealing with a beloved character and our designs would need to advance the amazing legacy that the Ultraman property has established globally” said KOJO Design Director, Sam Clarke.

“Our main goal was to design a title that could sit comfortably alongside the many variations in the Ultraman universe but also to stand out on its own. By leaning into the established themes of bold colour use, thick display elements and sharp serifs, the title design aimed to provide a sense of dynamic movement through its elongated form and to allow for the distinctive action of the colour timer to be animated through its centre.”

Additionally, through the development of the title, bespoke typography was also crafted that went on to feature throughout the film and into the credits. KOJO’s motion design team then took on the challenge of reimagining the 1967 paint-swirling Ultraman Title card for a modern audience.

“The 1967 titles were a testament to the tools of their time, and our approach was to build a title that paid homage to the original, while bringing them into the new era, using the technology of our time,” said the Motion Design Director Jack Prenc.

Finally, the main on ends were designed to highlight some of the film’s more emotive moments and were a creative collaboration between KOJO’s motion team and the film’s Art Director Sunmin Inn. Sunmin’s beautiful illustrations were brought to life through subtle parallax motion, the movement paired with the expressive colour palette, which really helped convey the connection and relationships between the characters, through the overall theme of balance and family.

The KOJO motion and design teams say they are incredibly proud to have played a small part in such an incredible film, and working with the team at Feature Animation Netflix was a real joy and the team looks forward to building on the relationship for many years to come.

A full case study breaking down the journey in detail can be found on KOJO’s website. Ultraman: Rising is out now on Netflix.

For more information about KOJO’s motion, design, post-production and visual effects services, please contact Lauren van Rensburg at [email protected]